Waiting for Tony
by ytteb
Summary: Tony's in trouble again, the team watch, wait and, well, meet ...
1. Chapter 1

_I don't own them and I'm sorry I whumped him._

How, wondered Special Agent Jethro Gibbs, did Tony get himself into these situations? Why was he, once again, sitting in a hospital room waiting for his senior field agent to wake up?

Everyone who worked for NCIS in Washington knew that Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo was something of a trouble magnet. Abby had once speculated that criminals focussed on getting rid of Tony in confrontations because he was so big and burly, 'all muscle' as she put it so bats, bullets and, on one occasion saucepans, were hurled in _his_ direction. This was obviously unfortunate for Tony and, in the end, counterproductive for his assailants as it meant that they ignored his equally lethal co-workers who were usually able promptly to disarm the miscreants before turning to pick a battered Tony up from the floor.

Tony knew all this but somehow couldn't quite bring himself to let McGee or Ziva break the door down or take the lead on a potentially dangerous standoff; he was sure that it was in his job description somewhere to protect his team mates. If it wasn't in his contract it was probably programmed into his DNA. At least Gibbs and his team usually at least had the satisfaction of bringing Tony's attackers to book.

This time, however, the team had not had that satisfaction and some of them felt a share of blame for what had happened but who could have guessed that horticulture would turn out to be so hazardous? It had started with Abby who had been reading with growing distress about the plight of the American honeybee which had gone into steep decline. Abby had read that the government was encouraging city dwellers to provide bee friendly areas in their yards or even to install hives. All her co-workers except for Gibbs lived either in apartments or in places with tiny yards so clearly Gibbs was the best choice. She thought that Gibbs would rise to the wood working challenge of building a hive or two. Gibbs was between projects and had been relatively easy to persuade.

So, that morning, the team had gathered for what Abby had called a 'bar bee cue' to welcome the newest arrivals to Casa Gibbs. Gibbs had built a neat hive and painted it blue, a color supposed to be soothing to bees. Ducky had come, half hoping to replicate a happy childhood memory of bees humming in the heather of his native Scotland. Jimmy had come because Ducky was there. McGee had come because he thought it would be something interesting to share with his scout troop. Ziva came because this would be a new experience and Tony came because it was the sort of thing he did, almost like a camp fire. For all of them there was the added, and rare, lure of a Gibbs barbecue; an experience not to be missed.

Nobody was quite sure how it had happened. The bee man (apiarist as Ducky told them was the correct term) arrived with the swarm that was to find a home in Gibbs' yard. Abby was undoubtedly very excited and a little noisy and she had perhaps waved her parasol around a bit too much causing the others to move out of her way rather quickly. As they all tried to avoid one another they had somehow startled the bee man who shook the swarm so that the bees were aroused from their stupor and began to buzz angrily. Everyone hotly denied afterwards that they had panicked but angry bees were not within anyone's experience and Tony had regaled them in recent days with graphic descriptions of 'Killer Bees' a 1974 film starring Gloria Swanson. It was probably not surprising, therefore, that the elite Major Crimes Response Team did not act as coolly under pressure as might have been hoped. Perhaps it _was_ Tony's own fault after all.

However it had happened, by the time the bee man had got the bees under control and safely in their new hive, most of the team had been stung at least once. Abby began to mourn the loss of the honey bees who had died as they inflicted their sting. Ducky and Gibbs looked around to see how the team were doing and looked first at Jimmy and McGee as they instinctively thought they would be most likely to be allergic to the stings. Jimmy and McGee had been stung once but seemed to be all right; Ziva and Abby had sheltered behind the parasol and seemed relatively unscathed. Which left Tony ... whose face was swelling up in reaction to multiple stings and who was beginning to gasp for breath. Ducky swung into action,

"Mr Palmer, get my bag from the car. Quickly – he's going into shock."

The bee man stepped up.

"It's OK, I've got an epi pen here. I always carry it."

Ducky took the pen and administered the medicine, "It's OK, Anthony, you'll be fine. Jethro, call 911, he needs to get to hospital as soon as possible."

Which was why Gibbs and his team were sitting in and around Tony's hospital room waiting for him to wake up. His reaction to the stings had been extreme so the epi pen had had to be administered more than once and then, being DiNozzo, he had had a slight reaction to the medicine itself. It had been alarming for a while but all was now under control ... and Tony's doctor assured them that all they had to do was wait for Tony to wake up. Something which, four hours later, he had stubbornly refused to do.

Although Tony had paid many visits to the hospital ER he had usually managed to avoid an overnight stay. He had stayed longer while recovering from the plague but had not been allowed many visitors for fear they would bring in unwelcome germs. The latest mishap looked set to be something different – a longer stay and no restrictions on visitors. Gibbs and the team settled down to wait, not knowing what was in store.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

_Tiny spoiler for 'Engaged'._

_The first visitor arrives ..._

Tony was still out cold; not in any distress it seemed but simply deeply asleep. Ducky assured everyone that there was no real cause for concern: Tony's body had undergone a big shock and was now recovering in its own way.

The team were reluctant to leave Tony on his own, each feeling vaguely responsible and uneasy about how they had behaved. The least they could do was to keep him company. The hospital staff were willing to bend the rules a little but there was just not enough space for everyone to be in Tony's room so they decided to take it in turns. Gibbs went first and the others went to the cafeteria for food, promising to bring coffee back for the team leader.

Gibbs switched the TV on in the hope that the sound might wake Tony up. He flicked through the channels thinking he might come across one of Tony's favorite movies although he would probably pass on 'Killer Bees.' He found a rerun of 'Casablanca' and started to watch it a little half-heartedly but soon realised it was one of those movies that everyone thinks they have seen but might only have seen clips of. Gibbs was rarely taken by surprise but he was weary after the day's events which might have been why he didn't immediately hear someone coming in. His heart beat a little faster when he recognised the new arrival.

"Chaplain Burke, what are you doing here? DiNozzo's not that sick." Gibbs trusted Ducky implicitly; if he had said that DiNozzo would be OK, then DiNozzo would be OK or have a real good reason but, just for a moment, he wondered if something was more wrong than he thought.

"Relax, Agent Gibbs," said the Lieutenant Commander, "I saw Tony's name up on the board in the ER so I thought I'd come and check on him."

"What were you doing in the ER?" asked Gibbs, still slightly suspicious. The chaplain raised an eyebrow and looked down at her uniform,

"It's my job, Agent Gibbs, or part of it anyway."

Anyone else might have apologised at that point but the chaplain knew how Gibbs felt about saying sorry so wasn't surprised when he said nothing.

"So, what happened?" she asked. To her credit she didn't laugh at Gibbs' slightly embarrassed account of what had happened at the 'bar bee cue'. Instead she said,

"I haven't known Tony very long but somehow I'm not surprised that he was the one to get the multiple stings, be allergic to them _and_ the medicine. Perhaps Miss Scuito's theory about the bad guys always going for Tony first applies to the natural world too."

"You know about that?" asked Gibbs. Chaplain Burke smiled,

"I think he was a little bit proud – you know, most men would like to be thought they stood out because of their physique and I don't think Tony is an exception, do you?"

"Hardly," chuckled Gibbs. The chaplain seemed to think Tony needed defending,

"But, of course, there's more to Tony than muscle," she said. Gibbs found that intriguing,

"Pull up a pew, Chaplain. So what do you think Tony has in addition to brawn?"

"Melanie, I'm off duty. Well, I would say that he definitely has brains to go with the brawn although it's not obvious to start with but after a while you can pick up clues".

"Such as?"

"I think the first one was when he gave me a lecture on the use of the double negative in Shakespeare! That doesn't quite go with being a jock. And then all that movie stuff. I thought of myself as a bit of a movie buff but I'm not in Tony's league. And it's not just mindless facts – he seems to remember every movie he's ever seen and how he felt when he watched them. He must have a fantastic memory."

"He has," smiled Gibbs, "I didn't know you two had kept in touch. Do you go to movies together?"

"Agent Gibbs, is that a roundabout way of asking if Tony and I are dating?"

"Don't usually do 'roundabout'".

"Well, to answer the question you are apparently not asking. Yes, Tony and I go to movies sometimes – it's nice to go with someone who appreciates them like he does; but no, we're not dating. Despite what some people think, Tony is capable of being friends with women."

"I hear you took him to Day Care."

"Ah, yes, helping him to face 'his biggest fear'! Although after today, bees might just have overtaken kids!"

Gibbs was curious. "And are kids his biggest fear?"

Melanie hesitated. "There's a lot going on with Tony. I'm sure you know that too so it's not breaking a confidence. He seems to find going to the chapel helpful, so long as there's nobody there."

"Except you?" asked Gibbs.

"You're right, you don't do 'roundabout'! And I don't break confidences either."

"As a chaplain or a friend?"

"Both. If you want to know what Tony and I talk about, you'll need to ask him. Now, I have to go. Tell him I came by." She got up, placed a card on his bedside locker and squeezed his hand. "Bye, Tony. Wake up soon, you've got people waiting for you." She paused by the door, "No head slaps, Agent Gibbs." And she was gone.

Gibbs looked down at Tony, still fast asleep.

"Still full of surprises, eh, DiNozzo?"

He wasn't really surprised when he heard someone else coming though the door ...

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

_Forgot to say that I don't own them ... although I probably own Tony's next visitor._

_And the next visitor arrives._

Gibbs found himself first automatically straightening in his chair and then standing up when he saw Tony's next visitor – a navy captain. He screwed his eyes up slightly to try and make out the name on the badge but couldn't quite manage it. The captain took pity on him,

"William Dickens," he said, holding out his hand for Gibbs to shake, "I'm guessing you're Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs felt as if the whole day was slipping out of his control. He shook hands with Captain Dickens,

"Have we met, Sir?"

"No, but I've seen your photo. Tony had pictures of um... various members of his DC team on the wall of his office and you were the one who wasn't smiling. I'm commander of the USS Ronald Reagan. Agent DiNozzo was my Agent Afloat for a few months."

Gibbs was a bit torn. He instinctively warmed to the captain who seemed a no-nonsense sort of guy but bristled at hearing someone else calling Tony 'his' agent.

"What happened, Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs wearily explained again the events of the day. He was beginning to think that he should make a recording of it or perhaps get McGee to post it on Twiddle. While Chaplain Burke had clearly been a bit amused by what had happened there was no corresponding twinkle in Dickens' eye. He gazed sternly at Gibbs who found himself momentarily taken back to his first days at Boot Camp when he had accidentally dropped his dinner on a gunny's shining boots.

"He's going to be fine, Sir. I'm so...sure", he just managed to avoid apologizing.

"You're 'so ... sure', are you? I make it a point to look through the records of everyone under my command. When Agent DiNozzo was first assigned I thought he'd be spending most of his time in Sick Bay but that wasn't the case. He was never injured _or_ sick while under my command, not even so much as a cold."

Gibbs nearly pointed out that Tony had only been on the Ronald Reagan for ten weeks and that keeping him safe hadn't been that big of a deal but then he remembered that he had managed to get Tony 'broken' just two weeks after he joined NCIS. He decided to live up to Tony's description of him and stay mute.

Dickens stared at Tony as if hoping that would be enough to get him to wake up. When it didn't work, he gestured to Gibbs to sit down again and took the other chair himself.

"You must have trained him well, Agent Gibbs. Best Agent Afloat I ever had and I fought to keep him on the Ronnie but it was no use. Could tell he didn't want to be there but he threw himself into the job. Really made a difference."

Gibbs smiled, "Tony is certainly whole-hearted. Never does anything by half."

"Including getting stung by bees, eh? Did he tell you he started up a movie class? Hell of a thing, he didn't seem to take 'no' for an answer and all these sulky Petty Officers found themselves listening to a talk on Leonardo Dicaprio in 'Romeo and Juliet' and then coming out with tears in their eyes. He'd wanted to do 'Titanic' but I put my foot down. There was some film about bees which he showed as well ... had people twitchy for days afterwards. He was going to start a series on the Peter Sellers films but he got re-assigned. Still, we gave him a great send off but morale took a nose dive when he went. I'd have him back any day of the week ... guy I've got now is OK but Tony, well, I guess he's a force of nature. You're lucky to have him, Gibbs."

Gibbs nodded, a bit overwhelmed by this unexpected version of Tony's first stint as Agent Afloat. He realized he'd never really spoken to him about it.

"So, what you doing here, Sir, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Don't worry, Agent Gibbs, I haven't come to steal him away. The Ronald Reagan's at Norfolk for repairs and one of my men took a tumble yesterday and broke his leg."

"Broke his leg under _your_ command, Sir?" teased Gibbs. Dickens had the grace to look embarrassed,

"Anyway, I saw DiNozzo's name on the ER board so thought I'd drop in. Brought him this," and he produced a travelling chess set.

"I didn't know Tony played chess," said Gibbs.

"I'm not sure many people would recognize what he plays as chess," laughed the Captain, "but the games were certainly short and interesting ... lucky he's a good loser."

Gibbs took a moment to digest this. Tony as a good loser didn't quite tie in with the rivalry in the squad room, perhaps it said something about the team dynamics that no-one felt they could lose face.

"Anyway," continued the Captain, "the games weren't really the point, they started as a chance to touch base on what was happening on board and became something quite different. He's quite a guy, isn't he? Can't exactly say 'still waters run deep' because he's not often still but he's certainly deep. Tell him I came by, Agent Gibbs. The Reagan's in port for a couple of months so I'll catch up with him some time ... and probably a few hundred other people will as well."

Dickens stood up, leaned forward and patted the slumbering Tony on the shoulder, put the chess set on the locker and turned to go,

"Nice meeting you, Agent Gibbs. Make sure you look after that young man. No head slaps." And with a firm handshake he was gone.

Gibbs sat down rather heavily and leaned his head on his hand and hoped it would be a while before the crew of the Ronald Reagan hit town. He took a deep breath to calm himself and then turned with misgiving as he heard the door open once more.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

_I still don't own them ... not even Tony's next visitor ..._

Gibbs took a deep breath to calm himself and then turned with misgiving as he heard the door open once more. He felt a surge of anger when he saw who it was, couldn't the pen pushers wait just a bit before poking their noses in?

"Ms Bromstead, what are you doing here? DiNozzo hasn't missed any work time yet."

Delores Bromstead looked uncharacteristically unsure of herself. She and Gibbs had done frequent battle over his general attitude to paperwork and late submission of his agents' annual appraisals and, while nobody really expected to get the better of the lead agent, she fought a good fight. In Human Resources, and the rest of NCIS in Washington, Delores had as formidable a reputation as Gibbs. Gibbs vaguely remembered DiNozzo being in a panic over ending up as her Secret Santa one year and hadn't he had to get McGee off a charge of sexual harassment as well? He stood up, ready to do battle once more for his agents. He noticed that Delores had a large, awkwardly shaped bag which she was trying to hide behind her back.

"Agent Gibbs, I need a report on To ..., I mean, Agent DiNozzo's accident. For his personnel file."

"Dr Mallard will take care of that. There was no need for you to come here at," he looked at his watch, "21.30."

"I happened to be here and saw Agent DiNozzo's name on the board in ER so I thought I would take care of it now. I assume it's work related?"

Gibbs sighed. It looked as if everyone in DC was walking past the ER at Bethesda – didn't they have better things to do? Part of the art of being a soldier is knowing which battles to fight and Gibbs decided there was no point in fighting this one.

"Sit down, Delores. This'll take a while." So Gibbs told the story once more and waited to see her reaction. Unexpectedly, there was a slight smile on Delores' face as she heard of the team's mishap. Did she have a sense of humor after all?

"I'll make sure there's an annotation in Agent DiNozzo's file about the bee sting allergy", she said.

Gibbs waited, expecting Delores to leave now her job was done. Instead, Delores stayed where she was and gazed fondly at Tony's sleeping form. After a few moments she said,

"I expect you heard about Tony being my Secret Santa, Agent Gibbs?" At Gibbs' curt nod, she continued, "I don't think anyone has ever been pleased to draw my name. I've usually ended up with tins of shortbread, scented candles – all perfectly nice, of course – but they could have been for anyone. But Tony really thought about what to get, what I would like. He actually went into my personnel file and looked at my psych evaluation from when I first joined NCIS. You know the sort of thing, you're asked about your childhood joys and sorrows, what disappoints you, what irritates you. I'm not sure why they bothered to do it for someone who's just going to work in HR," she gave a nervous giggle. "Anyway, I said that my 'childhood sorrow' was when I was eight years old and I really wanted a 'Knee High Cherry Pie' doll. All the girls wanted one, but they were expensive and my dad was out of work that year. So, I understood, really I did, why I didn't get one but it still made me sad."

Gibbs gave a sympathetic smile as he remembered the years when he and Shannon had made the desperate efforts to find the 'in' toy for Kelly each Christmas. He wondered how they would have felt if they hadn't been able to get what she wanted, how would they have felt if they couldn't have afforded it. He could almost see Kelly's brave smile as she would have tried to shrug off her disappointment. He swallowed as he struggled with the unexpected emotion and gestured for Delores to continue.

"I don't know what made Tony pick up on that out of everything else but he did. And then he went to the trouble of finding the Cherry Pie doll. It was beautifully wrapped too – although I expect he was able to charm the shop assistant in to doing that for him. He has got a way with him! I could tell he was nervous when he came to give it to me. I see now that he wished he'd gone with the scented candle or slippers! You'll think this is foolish, Agent Gibbs, but opening the box and seeing Cherry there, it was like a little wound being healed ... I can't believe it, a middle-aged, _sensible_ woman almost crying because she'd been given a doll."

Gibbs didn't know what to day. He turned to look at his agent still happily asleep. What had made Tony go to all that trouble? Perhaps it was just part of what Tony was, whole hearted in anything he chose to do and he would certainly have seen it as a challenge.

"I do know what people say about me, Agent Gibbs. That I'm a miserable shrew of a woman – and they may be right but since that Christmas I have tried to be ... well, different. Tony and I meet sometimes for coffee and pastries and just chat."

"About what?" asked Gibbs, unable to think what the two could have in common.

"Retro toys mostly, and scrapbooking ..." Delores laughed at Gibbs' look of horror, "no, not scrapbooking. Can you imagine Tony doing that? But toys of our childhood, yes. It's surprising what you can find about people when you know which toys they played with when they were children."

"And what toys did Tony play with when he was young?"

"Not as many as you might think; which might explain why he likes them now," she said a little cryptically. "Anyway, I must be going, tell him I came by, Agent Gibbs." She stood up, rummaged in the oddly shaped bag and drew out a Mighty Mouse balloon. She tied it to the foot of the bed, leaned over and stroked Tony's hair gently. Gibbs saw her face transformed by a gentle smile and noticed, for the first time, that her hair had a reddish tint.

"Remember, Agent Gibbs, no head slaps!" and she was gone. Gibbs looked at the balloon bobbing at the foot of the bed and wondered what, or who, else the evening had in store.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

_Here are the next visitors ... I 'own' them but not the rest._

Gibbs looked at the balloon bobbing at the foot of the bed and wondered what, or who, else the evening had in store.

It turned out that the next 'visitor' was Director Vance on the phone. He told Gibbs that he needed Ziva and McGee back at NCIS. Vance didn't make the mistake of telling Gibbs to come back, he knew that Gibbs would be staying with DiNozzo until he woke up. Gibbs called Tim and Ziva and told them, over their protests, to go back to the Navy Yard. Ducky and Abby came back carrying two large cups of coffee for him and he told them to go home for the night. Abby was reluctant but Gibbs persuaded her by asking that she look in on the bees to see if they had settled down for the night.

"OK, Gibbs, I expect they're a bit traumatised what with moving house and losing some of their friends – that's two of the most stressful things that can happen to people so I guess it's probably the same for bees. Look after him, Bossman." She placed a kiss on both Gibbs' and Tony's cheeks and went out. Ducky followed after taking another look at Tony's chart and looking at him carefully. Gibbs was relieved to find himself alone at last. He wondered how long that would last.

Not long as it turned out. The next arrivals were two Metro PD officers who introduced themselves as Jake Finnegan and Phil Lambert. They looked a classic team – Finnegan the older, grizzled veteran and Lambert the younger rookie. Gibbs' excellent observational skills and memory meant that he remembered seeing them at various crime scenes in Washington – it wasn't uncommon for Metro to be the first to reach a crime scene although, if there turned out to be a Navy connection, they didn't usually stay long. Gibbs' reputation saw to that. Although Gibbs recognised them and, at a push, would have remembered their names he couldn't remember much about them and he wouldn't have thought that Tony would either although the events of the evening were beginning to suggest to him that he shouldn't take anything for granted where DiNozzo was concerned.

"Don't tell me, you happened to be here and saw DiNozzo's name on the ER board."

"Uh, sure," said Jake, "so what happened this time, Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs sighed, and told the story again. He was beginning to feel like a witness in a court case.

"At least we haven't got to put bolos out on the attackers this time," said Phil.

"Or get out the list of people Tony's pissed off," agreed Jake.

They didn't wait to be invited but sat down by Tony's bed,

"Hi, Tony. How you doing? Want some pizza?" There was no response apart from a slight snuffle as Tony burrowed into his pillow a bit more. "Hey, he's really out for the count. Told you there'd be no point in bringing pizza," said Jake.

"How do you know DiNozzo?" asked Gibbs.

Jake and Phil exchanged looks and Phil nodded at Jake to answer.

"I think every cop in DC knows Tony, Agent Gibbs. Hell, every cop in DC knows you too."

"But they _like_ Tony," interrupted Phil, who then went red as he realised what he'd said. "I mean, not that I mean that you ... er... I'm sure you're a nice ... um ..."

Gibbs cut him off. "It's OK, I'm not offended that you don't 'like' me. I'm not sure I like _you."_

Jake continued before his partner could put his other foot in his mouth. "Tony's unusual for a Fed, he's still a cop at heart, still likes old fashioned ..."

"... police work," supplied Phil and Gibbs. Jake laughed, "and it stands him in good stead. He looks at crime scenes in a particular way but he doesn't have a problem sharing. Lots of our rookies'll tell you that Tony's pointed out something before they contaminated a piece of evidence or did something reckless; he's made some good saves. And they don't seem to mind, I've never heard one moaning about a Fed 'throwing his weight around'. I know the captain of our precinct would be glad to have Tony do a bit of training with our guys."

"Still a pretty mean basket ball player too, although at his age he hasn't got the stamina, it's mostly tactical play," said tactless Phil, "he steps in sometimes if we have a hole. Was a bit of a problem the other week when we were playing Baltimore. Both sides wanted him to play."

"So what did he do?" asked Gibbs.

"Played five minutes for one side and then switched to the other for five!" laughed Jake.

An awful thought occurred to Gibbs, "Does Baltimore PD know Tony's in hospital?"

"I'd guess so," said Phil, "why?"

"Just curious," said Gibbs as he mentally worked out how long it would take for Tony's old department to drive to DC and how many of them would come. At least it would be too far for those from Philadelphia! Phil's cell rang at that moment and he bounded out of the room to answer it. Gibbs smiled at his energy,

"Keen, isn't he?"

"Certainly is. He's going to be good, needs a bit of calming down at times but he's got good instincts ... gut, I think you call it. Tony's a bit of a role model for him." He saw Gibbs' skeptical look. "Why wouldn't he be, Gibbs? He's excellent at his job ..."

"How do you know that?" queried Gibbs.

"You've got a reputation as someone who doesn't suffer fools gladly. Hell, you hardly seem to suffer anyone gladly. You keeping Tony around speaks for itself. So, as I was saying, he's good at his job and he loves doing it, he remembers what it was like starting out in this business and he doesn't mind giving the newbies a helping hand." It was clear that Gibbs was not convinced. "And you know why he takes the time to point them in the right direction? Well, you should. Tony's lost people he cared about to this job and he doesn't want to lose any more. So, if taking a few minutes to point out that there's a better, safer way of doing things which might save a life, he'll take those few minutes."

Phil came back in, "Got a call, Jake, gotta go." He produced a big card with a picture of a pizza on it from his jacket and put it on the locker. "Hey, Tony, we owe you a pizza. Wake up soon."

Jake shook Gibbs' hand, patted Tony's shoulder and went out. He popped his head back through the door,

"By the way, Agent Gibbs, those head slaps? I could arrest you for assaulting a federal agent." And then he really was gone.

Gibbs looked at Tony's bedside locker – if this carried on, he'd need a bigger one.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

_Still don't own them ... here comes another face from the past._

The hours of night were a little quieter for Gibbs as he continued his vigil over the slumbering Tony. There was a fairly constant stream of doctors, nurses and orderlies coming to check on the patient and also to deliver a number of good luck messages, two more balloons and three baskets of fruit. They had also brought in another locker to store everything.

Gibbs had crunched on a couple of apples from the fruit baskets but felt the need for something a bit more substantial and more caffeinated. When a nurse arrived to give Tony a bed bath, he took the opportunity to slip away to the cafeteria. He smiled to himself at the thought that Tony would be disgruntled to know that the bath was been given by a six foot, muscular and hairy male nurse but he also hoped that Tony might finally decide to wake up during his ministrations.

Gibbs returned soon carrying two of the largest cups of coffee he could find plus a deliberately smelly breakfast burrito. He reasoned that a food aroma might penetrate through Tony's sleep in a way that sound had not, and if it didn't, well he would have enjoyed an extra breakfast. His scheme was forgotten as he went into Tony's room to find a very unmasculine person standing over Tony's bed – a heavily pregnant unmasculine person. Gibbs' stomach lurched at the thought that he was about to meet someone _very_ unexpected, someone not even born yet ... his mind went into overdrive at the thought that this might be a very special 'friend' who Tony had kept hidden.

"Who are you?" he asked curtly. The woman turned,

"Pam Sparkes", she replied, "it's nice to see you, Special Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs stared at the new arrival. Just as he was about to ask how she knew him and Tony, recognition came to him.

"Lieutenant Pam Kim."

"Not Lieutenant any more, Agent Gibbs. I left the navy four years ago. And not Kim any more either."

Gibbs remembered now that, when he had last met the former surgical nurse during the time that Tony had been framed for murder, she was on her honeymoon with ... no, he couldn't remember the name but presumably it was someone called Sparkes.

"What are you doing here, Ms Sparkes? Don't tell me, you were in the ER and saw Tony's name on the board?"

"No," she seemed surprised, "I was here for an pre-natal check and one of the nurses told me about Tony. What happened this time?"

Gibbs took pity on her. He drew a chair forward and then helped her lower herself down. He told the story again; by now he was so practised that he barely had to think about it. Having completed the tale, he turned to one of the things which was intriguing him,

"Why are you here, Ms Sparkes? I wouldn't have expected someone who egged Tony's car and posted him on the herpes website would want to visit his sick bed with any kind intention."

Pam looked embarrassed. "Look, Agent Gibbs, Tony and I both behaved pretty badly all those years ago, we were both irresponsible and I caused Scott a lot of pain as a result. And yes, I was pretty mad with him. A few years ago I might have wanted to come and gloat over him."

"But not now?" queried Gibbs, "what's changed?"

"When your agent dragged me out of my honeymoon I was still furious with Tony but when you interviewed me and I thought you were implying that Tony had been murdered, well I realised that perhaps I wasn't as angry as I thought."

Gibbs remembered that moment. Up till then, the lieutenant had been hostile and on the defensive about her behavior but when she got the drift of Gibbs' line of questioning and thought that Tony was dead, her demeanor had changed.

"When I thought Tony had been killed I remembered that he had been decent to me. He could have reported me for the way I harassed him, but he didn't. Don't get me wrong, I still really regret having that fling with him but we were both adults making poor decisions. He knew I was engaged and shouldn't have made a pass at me. I knew I was engaged and shouldn't have given in. Like I say, adults making bad decisions and equally to blame. I think he was sort of surprised that I agreed to go on a date with him. Sometimes I think that flirting is just something he does automatically, like a reflex, part of being nice to people and he doesn't really expect a result."

Something slipped into place in Gibbs's mind,

"If it helps, I think you were the last 'spoken for' woman he went after. Not long after he was going out with a woman who turned out to married – he broke it off as soon as he found out."

"Monica," said Pam.

"How the hell do you know that?" asked Gibbs.

"After Tony was cleared, I wrote him a letter to apologize for the egging and the website. I said I'd got some perspective on it at last. I didn't exactly forgive him, I don't think forgiveness is the right word, but we made peace."

"You met?"

"After my marriage I was posted to Bethesda and we bumped into one another sometimes. As I say, we made peace. If we met we'd stop and chat, perhaps have a coffee together. He could still make me laugh and so, in a weird sort of way, we became friends."

"What does your husband think of that?" asked Gibbs, wondering if there was some delicate way of finding out if they had become more than friends. And since when, he wondered, did he do 'delicate'? Ducky would be proud of him.

"Scott is very understanding. He's met Tony a couple of times when he came to pick me up from work. They've managed to have civilized conversations but you couldn't call them friends. In another life, in other circumstances they might have gone on well – they've got a lot in common."

At this point Gibbs was fairly sure that Pam and Tony were just friends but he tried a slightly leading question anyway. "When's the baby due?"

"Four weeks. And yes, Agent Gibbs, to answer the question you're not asking, she is Scott's child. She'll be our third, she has a brother and sister waiting for her."

Gibbs nodded, satisfied at last and glad that, when Tony was next framed for murder, he wouldn't need to put Pam and her husband on the suspect list. Pam gazed a little wistfully at Tony.

"You know, part of me regrets that I can't ask Tony to be godfather to the new baby. I think he'd be great but I don't think Scott would be that understanding! I'm very happy, Agent Gibbs, and I wouldn't change my husband for anything but sometimes, I can't help but wonder what could have happened." She shook herself a little, "listen to me, getting all fanciful. It must the hormones talking."

Gibbs helped her up. She rested a hand on Tony's shoulder for a moment.

"I won't leave him anything, Agent Gibbs. He seems to have plenty already but tell him I dropped by and that I'll send a birth announcement."

Gibbs nodded, "I'll tell him. Take care of yourself and that baby."

"I will. Thank you for listening and not throwing me out. Oh, and Agent Gibbs, head trauma is a nasty thing ... and probably not condoned in the NCIS handbook". And with that, she was gone.

_And yes, I had to get Season 3 DVDs out to find the name of Lieutenant Kim's husband!_

_TBC_


	7. Chapter 7

_Still don't own them and if I tell you that this chapter contains small spoilers for 'Leap of Faith' you will probably guess who the next arrival is._

Gibbs sat quietly for a few moments after Pam had left. Then his cell vibrated indicating that another text message had come in. Sighing, he took it out of his pocket and squinted at the screen. In the scramble to get Tony to hospital the day before, grabbing his readers hadn't been one of his priorities but now it meant that he couldn't read the text messages. He thought he'd ask McGee if it was possible to get large print versions of texts on his what his team called his "dumb phone". He guessed that if it was urgent the texter would phone and he thought the messages probably came from Ziva, Tim and Abby wanting updates on their co-worker.

He continued to squint and hold the cell as far away as possible in an effort to decipher the message when he heard a squirting sound and looked up to see Nikki Jardine from the NCIS diligently cleaning her hands using the gel dispenser on the wall outside Tony's room. A plastic sack stood at her feet. He almost asked her what she was doing there but he thought he probably knew the answer.

"Agent Gibbs, er ... good morning sir, I mean, Agent Gibbs."

"Come in, Jardine. What you got there?", pointing at the bag,

"These were on Tony's desk this morning ... get well cards and messages. Abby put them into a bag and asked me to bring them down because she's tied up in the lab all morning." As she spoke, Nikki tipped the bag upside-down over the locker, carefully avoiding touching anything, so that the cards tumbled out in a heap.

"That's good of you, Jardine. How did Abby persuade you to come here? Thought a hospital with all these sick people and germs around would be the last place you'd want to be."

"Agent Gibbs, hospitals are about the only places I know where people are _encouraged_ to use hand sanitiser _and_ it's available for nothing! What's not to like?"

Gibbs directed one of his milder stares at her, knowing that it would be enough in her case. Sure enough, Nikki caved quite quickly.

"I wanted to come, Agent Gibbs. I couldn't quite believe the story everyone's telling about the bees?" Gibbs sighed, and told the well-rehearsed story once more.

"So it is true. I guess you can't rule anything out with Tony. Considering he's so accident prone it's amazing we got back from Iraq with nothing more than a sunburned nose."

"Not sure that was down to you, Jardine, from what you and DiNozzo wrote in your reports after that."

"You meant, what _I_ wrote in my report and what Tony left out. How I jumped out of the jeep without thinking and put everyone in danger? And that Tony stopped me when I tried to do it again? I don't quite understand why Tony didn't put it in _his_ report."

"You were his responsibility while you were in Iraq so it was his job to look after you. I figure he felt that carried on when you came back," Gibbs explained, "he dealt with the issue out there, no need to rehash it when you came back."

"He did a good job," said Nikki, "when I found out that Tony was going with me I thought he'd be easy to fool so I could get on with meeting up with the family that saved Eric."

Gibbs responded with a bark of laughter and waved to Nikki to carry on.

"I soon discovered I was wrong. He was on my case from the beginning, wanting to know what my real motive was for going and he kept me safe. And ..."

"And ...?" prodded Gibbs when she hesitated.

"And it turned out that he was a fun guy to be around and that we had similar senses of humor. I was surprised in lots of ways on that trip. Agent Gibbs, I don't want to speak out of turn or be disrespectful, but part of the reason I didn't expect Tony to be so good at his job was the way that Agents McGee and David sometimes treat him at work. I mean, I know they're both really good at their jobs but they do seem rather, well, reluctant to take him seriously." Nikki blurted out the last few words and then looked a bit shocked at her own outspokenness. Gibbs smiled to think that Tony had yet another unexpected champion.

"Nikki, team er ... dynamics can be difficult to understand from the outside. They're a bit like a marriage, you can't really tell what's going on in the relationship if you're not living it." He stopped, not sure that he'd explained it properly and reflecting that, after three divorces, he might not be the best person to use marriage as a metaphor ... or was it simile? He tried again, "Nikki, I think when you dig deep down, under all the jokes and banter, you'll find that Ziva and McGee do respect Tony." He hoped it was true.

"OK ... and I know that Tony doesn't always make it easy. He does like playing tricks on them. He's even got me involved sometimes."

And that was a surprise, reflected Gibbs remembering McGee telling him that, during a particular lively prank war, Tony had enlisted Nikki to pretend to Ziva that she had seen Tony putting something under her car. Not many people would have thought to recruit Nikki to play a joke, her germophobia tended to be the thing people saw in Nikki; trust Tony to spot something deeper.

"I brought this for Tony," Nikki produced a CD, "it's a digitally re-mastered copy of an early Frank Sinatra album. I think he'll like it. I swear that if, _when_, Eric wakes up he'll be an expert on Alfred Hitchcock films and addicted to Frank Sinatra and it'll be all Tony's fault."

Gibbs knew that Nikki's brother was still in a coma as a result of being wounded in Iraq but he didn't quite see how Tony fitted in. He looked questioningly at Nikki.

"I told Tony about Eric being in hospital. He said he knew that lonely it could be visiting people in hospital so he volunteered to come with me sometimes. He thought it might be good for Eric to be involved in a three way conversation rather than just have one voice to listen to. One time that I was away at a conference he went instead of me. The nurses told me that he took this Alfred Hitchcock film with him, played it to Eric and gave him a running commentary!"

"And the Sinatra?"

"He was horrified when he found out that neither of us had ever really listened to Sinatra so he decided to 'educate' us. So, like I say, when Eric wakes up the first words he says will probably be a line from a movie." Gibbs could see that she thought it would be a small price to pay.

Nikki found a space for the CD on the crowded locker top and then, to Gibbs's surprise, blew Tony a kiss.

"Wake up soon, Tony. Oh, and Agent Gibbs, I've been doing some research. Touching human hair is very unhygienic – for your own health you should cut back on those head slaps." And she went, leaving Gibbs to wonder if he had just been subtly threatened and also to wonder what Tony would think if he was told that his scrupulously maintained hair was a breeding place for bacterial

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

_It's time to wake Tony up before he turns in Rip van Winkle. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited or followed the story and thank you for the suggestions of people who could visit ... here are the last visitors. Unfortunately, I don't own any of them._

As Nikki left the room, Gibbs ran his hands through his hair apparently not caring that it might not be hygienic. He looked up at the ceiling and then looked across at his Senior Field Agent who, it seemed, he didn't know quite as well as he'd thought. No, that wasn't quite right, Tony's visitors had just reminded him about what he'd always known was at the core of Tony; the simple good heartedness which made him look out for people and the imaginative sensitivity which enabled him to find good ways to help them. He resolved to stop being dazzled by Tony's 'face of a clown' and look for the person behind that mask.

Gibbs took an anxious look into his cup and saw that it was nearly empty. He didn't think he could deal with Tony's entourage without more caffeine and wondered if he could persuade one of the orderlies to do a coffee run for him. As he looked up from the innards of the cup, he saw that Tony's eyes were open. Tony blinked a couple of times and then closed his eyes again for a couple of seconds. Gibbs waited with baited breath. The eyes opened again and there was a puzzled look on Tony's face as he looked around the room,

"Boss, why am I sleeping in a gift shop?"

Gibbs snorted with laughter, and relief. He wasn't surprized at Tony confusion. The room was crowded with get well cards, five baskets of fruit, six balloons and various other gifts which had arrived over the last few hours.

"You've had a few visitors while you were sleeping and you've been keeping the hospital messenger service busy." Gibbs pressed the call button to alert the duty nurse that Tony had woken up. She hurried in and gestured to Gibbs to move out of the way as she did some routine checks on her patient.

"It's good to see you awake at last, Agent DiNozzo, you had a few people worried. You just lie there quietly for a few minutes, The doctor will be in to see you soon."

Tony smiled at her. He reached out to the locker to get a drink of water. Gibbs got there first and handed him the glass.

"Thanks, Boss. Er ... what happened? What am I doing here?"

"What do you remember, Tony?" asked Gibbs.

"I remember looking forward to the barbecue, Abby waving her parasol thingy around. Not sure really, Boss, although I've been having some pretty weird dreams."

Gibbs sighed and told the bee story once more thinking that surely this would be the last time. Tony looked a little worried when told about the bee stings,

"Will they leave scars? I know Ziva thinks my face needs a bit more character but I'd rather it didn't come in the form of red lumps."

"Don't worry, Tony, I'm sure you'll soon be back to your best. And if not, I'm sure Ducky or Abby will have remedies to suggest."

"No offence, Boss, but given a choice I'll go for Ducky's solution over Abby's ... she'd probably rub green mud or something into them."

Gibbs realized that Tony was already putting the brave face on to hide the fact that he was probably feeling a bit uncertain and disorientated. He kept looking at all the cards and balloons. Gibbs decided to tell Tony about all the visitors and what they had said about him. By the time Gibbs had finished telling Tony about Nikki's visit, Tony had blushed a deep red and he had a pleased smile on his face.

"You've got lots of people looking out for you, DiNozzo."

"Including you, Boss. You stayed here all night. You didn't have to do that."

"That was a simple thing to do, Tony. I'm not sure I've been doing the more complicated stuff for you recently. Might have taken my eye off the ball a bit."

Tony looked a bit alarmed at getting a near apology from Gibbs and at seeing his boss look a bit uncertain. "Gibbs, you're fine. I understand. When it comes down to the _big_ stuff, you've got my six."

Gibbs' gut lurched at Tony's tacit admission that Gibbs _wasn't_ always there for him in the _smaller _things but before he could say anything else, Tony continued.

"Like I told you before, I've always thought the head slaps were a sign of affection. Just hope you're not put off by all those microbes!"

Part of Gibbs wanted to push on with the conversation, perhaps even to apologize, but he didn't. He sensed that he had already said enough to make Tony happy and that also that his senior agent was basking in the thought of all his friends visiting. It might Gibbs feel better to hash it out a bit more but it wouldn't help Tony. He would just try to do better in future. The two sat in companionable silence for a few more minutes and then the moment was broken by a loud rumble from Tony's stomach.

The doctor came in at that moment and Tony's face lit up to see Dr Brad Pitt.

"Is it all right for Tony to have something to eat, Brad?" asked Gibbs.

"Sure. Not pizza yet, something a bit lighter perhaps?"

"I'll get you some eggs and toast, DiNozzo. I'll call the others to let them know you're back in the land of the living." As Gibbs left the room he could hear Brad and Tony in lively conversation.

NCISNCISNCIS

Tony made short work of the eggs and thirstily drank two cups of tea. He was beginning to get restless and ask if he could go home soon. Gibbs was about to reply when they heard the sound of conversation drifting along the corridor. The rest of the team had arrived and they seemed to be bringing another visitor.

"It's sooo good you're in town Mr DiNozzo," came Abby's voice, "you'll be able to look after Tony."

"I'd love to do that, Abby," said Tony's father, "unfortunately, I can only be here for one night. I've got to be in Cannes tomorrow."

"At least you can spend some time with him today," said McGee.

"I expect he'll still be a bit groggy, won't really want to talk a lot. I was wondering, if he's going to be here tonight as well, I could use his apartment for the night. The Adams House was er ... fully booked when I called them."

"You will have to ask Tony that," said Ziva with a hint of disapproval in her voice.

Tony looked frantically at Gibbs and shook his head. Their eyes met and Gibbs nodded in understanding. Tony dived under the covers. The team, plus Senior, poured into the room.

"TOONY," cried Abby running in with arms outstretched, ready to give him a huge hug. She came to a abrupt halt at the sight of a sleeping Tony "Gibbs, you said he was awake. Is anything wrong ... has he had a relapse? Tell me, Gibbs, I can take it."

"Sshhh, Abby," said Gibbs, "the doctor said he might fall asleep again, his body's still got a lot of catching up to do. Mr DiNozzo, glad you could drop by." To do him credit, Mr DiNozzo was looking at his son with some concern and leaned over to give him a kiss on his forehead.

"Will he be all right, Agent Gibbs, those stings aren't going to leave scars are they? "

"Oh, don't worry, Mr D," said Abby, " I've been looking up some wonderful natural remedies for Tony to use. He might smell a bit odd for a few days but he'll soon be back to his handsome self." Gibbs thought it was a tribute to Tony's undercover skills that he maintained his sleeping pose even as he heard this alarming news.

"So, Agent Gibbs ... Jethro, I was thinking I could use Tony's apartment for the night. It doesn't look as if he'll be out of here today."

Gibbs fixed him with an icy stare,

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Mr DiNozzo. Tony had to have the locks changed recently and he hasn't got around to giving me a spare key yet." This was technically true. Tony hadn't _given_ him a spare key, he'd just helped himself. He looked at Senior once more, silently daring him to ask if he could stay at Gibbs' house instead. It looked as if Tony's dad was going to excuse himself and leave but as he rose to go McGee said,

"What's been going on here, Boss. It looks as if you're setting up a gift shop here."

Gibbs decided this was a golden opportunity. "That's an interesting story, Tim. Mr DiNozzo, you'll enjoy hearing this too." And Gibbs proceeded to give them all a detailed, no holds barred account of all of Tony's visitors and then insisted they read all the get well messages too.

A couple of hours later, the room was once again occupied by just Tony and Gibbs. Senior and the team had left, stunned not only by Gibbs' talkativeness but also by what they had heard and seen.

"It's OK, Tony, you can 'wake up' now," said Gibbs.

"Thanks, Boss. Sorry I bailed on you back there. But when I heard him saying that he wanted to use my apartment ... well,"

"Hey, nothing to be sorry about. Anyway, made them all think a bit."

"Perhaps I should call him, tell him he can have the key after all," he looked at Gibbs's face, "... or not."

"Or not," confirmed Gibbs. He looked at Tony who looked a bit sad and uncertain. "Were you listening to me, DiNozzo, when I told them about everyone who visited? Look around this place. Just remember how many people you've got who _really_ care about you."

He leaned over and gave Tony a gentle head slap. Tony beamed,

"On it, Boss!"


End file.
